The present invention is in the field of automated assembly devices, and more particularly relates to systems and methods for manufacturing seamed articles from flexible material.
In the prior art, seamed articles made from flexible materials are generally manufactured by cutting out various panels of the article from the material, and then joining those panels along edges, forming seams, to produce the final article. For example, in the manufacture of clothing, where the material is generally relatively limp and also stretchable, an article is generally produced by cutting, and subsequently joining panels of cloth in such a manner so that a desired three-dimensional fit is achieved. In the simplest form, the skin of an animal may be considered to be an example of an optimal three-dimensional fit of "clothing". To reproduce this "clothing", with such a fit, the animal's skin may be removed and then cut and stretched to form substantially planar panels. By arranging these panels as patterns on a bolt of flexible material, a series of geometric outlines may be generated on the material which define the panels and seams (which are a function of the original animal's geometry) and a plurality of "void" areas outside of the seams and between the panels. In accordance with conventional clothing manufacture, the various panels may be then cut from the bolt of material and joined at the peripheries, forming seams, and easing where necessary, to reconstruct the clothing article having the three-dimensional skin geometry of the original animal.
In recent years, there have been numerous advancements in the art of clothing manufacture. Such improvements include computer controlled techniques for determining the placement and cutting of panel patterns on the material from a bolt, to provide optimal fabric usage. Another improvement is directed to the use of computer controlled elements for cutting multiple sets of panels at a time. However, in spite of these improvements, the basic construction technique for seamed articles has remained the same; the panels are first cut and then assembled subsequently to form the article. Typically, in the clothing manufacture industry, this process results in a relatively labor intensive manufacturing process, where much of the labor of assembling the precut panels is performed manually.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for manufacturing of seamed articles from flexible material.